Luke 20:34-40 34But Jesus said to them, “The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage, 35but those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and to the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage, 36for they can no longer die because they are like angels and are sons of God, since they are sons of the resurrection.
In his response, Jesus both answered the criticism of the Sadducees and gave insight into marriage and death. Jesus refers to two ages in his response. First, he points out that marriage is for this age, which means the time between Adam and Eve and Jesus’ second coming. This is the age when every human faces death. Second, he shows a different situation in that age, which refers to the coming age of the kingdom when there will be no more death. The challenge is to consider the difference between these two ages. Why is marriage part of this age and not the coming age?
The implied answer has something to do with death. One of the primary purposes of marriage in the ancient world was procreation, which was a way to carry on the family name, with all its social and economic benefits. Marriage was a way to fight off the curse of death. In the coming age of resurrection, death will no longer be part of the human experience; therefore, marriage is not needed in eternity. Jesus adds an important thought that those considered worthy are who will experience this new resurrection life. What makes a person worthy? The substantival participle is passive, with God as the implied actor. Luke has already shown in his Gospel that to be worthy of God’s kingdom, one must repent and believe in Jesus and his message. There is no need to elaborate further on this at this point.
Verse 36 restates the reason why there will be no marriage, making the implication of verses 34-35 more explicit. Those who will be raised from the dead will be like the angels. The question is in what way the resurrected worthy ones will be like angels. The possibilities include a spiritual essence, eternal, or asexual. Somehow, resurrection will change the whole situation so that marriage will not be part of it. Jesus has refuted the Sadducees’ position while also offering a new thought and an invitation for them to repent and believe and so become one of the worthy ones who will be resurrected.
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